Albright is a frequent collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma. The New York Times has praised Albright's "jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout."[6]The New York Concert Review wrote that Albright's playing is "as good as it gets."[7]The Washington Post declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation."[8] Albright lives in New York City.

Albright was born in 1988 in the U.S. Army hospital within Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington. His mother, Hyesoo, was a computer database specialist who was born in Seoul, and his father, Jeff Albright, was a U.S. Navy serviceman; the two married in Korea and then settled in Washington in 1987. About a year after Albright was born the family moved to Centralia where he was raised.[9] Albright has a younger sister named Lillian.[10] Albright says he began to play the piano at age three-and-a-half, starting with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" played by ear.[5] From the age of four he appeared on state and national television. He did not receive formal classical training until 1996 when he began studying with Nancy Adsit of Olympia, Washington.[11][12]

During his years with Adsit, Albright was selected five times as an Olympia Chapter representative to the Washington State Music Teachers Convention (WSMTA) and received a Beaux Arts Society scholarship. In 1998, he made his orchestral debut with the University of Puget Sound symphony. In 2000, he won prizes at the Central Washington University Sonatina/Sonata Festival and won the Olympia Chapter Concerto Festival, which led to a guest artist appearance with the Capital Area Youth Symphony in 2001.

Continuing to develop his performance career, Albright performed as part of the "Wonder Kids" concert in the Elsinore Piano Series in Salem, Oregon, in 2001 and performed in a concert with Dr. Tanya Stambuck of the University of Puget Sound the following January. Other performances throughout Washington included solo debuts with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Philharmonic in 2002.

Albright's success continued as a prizewinner in the Northwest Chopin Festival on February 1, 2003, and first prize winner in the 2003 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition. Other concerts that year included appearances on the Steinway Young Artists Series in Seattle, and a guest artist appearance with the Port Angeles Symphony in Port Angeles, Washington.

At age 15, Albright was selected as the youngest pianist in the Young Artist program of the 2004 TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute in Fort Worth, Texas.[13] Additionally, he won the Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition a second time, the Northwest Division MTNA Senior Piano Competition in Missoula, Montana, and the Olympia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition.

At age 16, Albright was among the five winners in the 14–16-year-old division at the Northwest Chopin Competition held in February 2005.[14] He played in the festival's Prizewinners' Concert at the Community Concerts Series in Centralia, Washington, and a concert with the Northwest Wind Symphony.

He was one of seven competitors in the 2005 National MTNA Senior Piano Competition.

Albright won Second Prize in the 2006 Schimmel Senior International Piano Competition in Tempe, Arizona.

In June, he was the first pianist ever to win both the Solo and Ensemble Divisions of the 2006 New York Biennial National Piano Competition in New York, New York.[15]

In August, he won first prize and all other prizes in the 2006 Eastman Young Artists' International Piano Competition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.[16] Other prizes included the "Audience Prize," the "Best Performance in a Master Class" prize, and the "Best Performance of a 21st Century Work" prize.[5]

Albright won the 2006 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the fourth time, in November. He won in his age group at the Chopin Northwest competition.[17]

Albright was the first classical pianist in the Harvard/New England Conservatory 5-Year BA/MM Joint Program, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics and completing a pre-medical curriculum at Harvard College (Class of 2011). He was also a Master of Music student in Piano Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music (Class of 2012).[19] He was named the Harvard University Leverett House Artist in Residence for 2011–2012. During the school year he also played 32 concerts worldwide.

On December 1, the pianist performed for the first time with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the Harvard ceremony presenting the late Senator Ted Kennedy with an Honorary Doctorate degree. At the ceremony, guests included Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Senator John Kerry, and then Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden.

Albright was one of four winners of the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions where he won the Paul A. Fish First Prize, the Ruth Laredo Award, the Sander Buchman Prize, the Ronald A. Asherson Prize, and the Sander Buchman Prize, as well as four performance prizes.[3]

Albright performed approximately 28 times in the 2009-2010 Concert Season. Concert venues included those in Paris, Los Angeles, Boston, Michigan, and New York. In November 2009 Albright received the 2010 Gilmore Young Artist Award, given to two pianists biannually. Albright was granted $15,000 with an additional $10,000 for the commissioning of a new composition for piano.[23]

He gave six concerts as a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist at the 2010 Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Michigan, where he received a review describing his playing as "Poetry in motion... with flair as well as fireworks... Maturity might be a given for a Gilmore Young Artist. But Albright's professional polish was evident, not simply in the way he played the piece, but in the manner he played with the orchestra, as opposed to against or merely alongside it." The review concluded that "This college kid... is going places in music," and that "In Royce Auditorium on Thursday, Albright was number one all the way."[24]

During September 2009, seven students at the Centralia College received the "Charlie Albright Scholarship," organized by the Centralia College Foundation from funds raised by a concert Albright gave in 2008. In December 2009, Centralia College purchased an instrument they called the "Charlie Albright Piano" as a result of the "Charlie Albright Piano Project." Albright gave the inaugural performance on the nine-foot Model D Steinway, purchased for Corbet Theatre, on March 27, 2010.[25]

On February 7, 2015, Albright raised over $14,000 at a fundraising benefit concert at the Centralia College for the benefit of the "Charlie Albright Scholarship" and maintenance of the "Charlie Albright Piano."[26]

After Albright's debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 14, 2011, The Washington Post wrote that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles... with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."[8]

Albright was named the Harvard University Leverett House Artist in Residence for 2011-2012. Previous Artists in Residence at Leverett have included the likes of cellist Yo-Yo Ma (1979–1981). In December 2010, he was named one of the 15 Most Interesting Seniors of the Harvard College Class of 2011.[4]

Albright was invited to give three All-Schubert solo concerts at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 2013, to which the Boston Musical Intelligencer wrote that the 25-year-old pianist was "unsurpassed" and "on the top tier." The author continued by writing that "It was gripping, frankly, both spellbinding and spellbound, quite unlike most such solo recitals I've heard over the decades."[31]

The second of the three Schubert-cycle concerts at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was met with praise, with reviews hailing that "Albright is a born Schubert player. Albright has the requisite chops of a competition winner, but the beauty, sensitivity, and taste of a mature artist. His Schubert was ravishing, imaginative, poetic—full of poignancy and lyricism. His interpretation sounded spontaneous, but this was also heartfelt, mature playing. Everything had been thought out by a mind brimming with musical intelligence." [32]

On March 18, 2014, Albright was awarded the 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The award is "designed to give professional assistance and recognition to talented instrumentalists...who the Recommendation Board and Executive Committee of the Avery Fisher Artist Program believe to have great potential for major careers," and includes a $25,000 grant. The Executive Committee consists of such artists as pianist Emanuel Ax and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.[2][33]

Albright's 2011-2012 concert season included about 30 concerts and residencies throughout the United States. Highlights included a concert with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project commemorating the 10-year remembrance of the 9/11 attacks (September, 2011); guest artist appearances with such orchestras as the Phoenix Symphony (November, 2011) and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra in the 2012 Gilmore Keyboard Festival (May, 2012); masterclasses at universities; and solo concerts.[5]

Vivace is Albright's commercial debut album, released in February 2011. The album holds six works, concluding with a piece composed by Albright. The others are by Haydn, Menotti, Schumann-Liszt, Janáček and Chopin. All of the works were recorded on the Albright Steinway in Corbet Theatre at Centralia College.[42]

The Washington Post declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles... with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."[8]

The New York Times praised Albright's "Jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout"[6]

The Boston Musical Intelligencer wrote that if Albright "is not indisputably first among equals, he seems to me unsurpassed, anyway, and on the top tier. I will be surprised to hear another performance at this level very soon. It was gripping, frankly, both spellbinding and spellbound, quite unlike most such solo recitals I've heard over the decades."[31] On a separate occasion, they wrote that "Albright has the requisite chops of a competition winner, but the beauty, sensitivity, and taste of a mature artist. is Schubert was ravishing, imaginative, poetic—full of poignancy and lyricism. It would seem Albright is a born Schubert player, whose taste is simply impeccable. His interpretation sounded spontaneous, but this was also heartfelt, mature playing. Everything had been thought out by a mind brimming with musical intelligence." In response to his improvised encore, they wrote that "Albright is a master of improvisation." [32]

The New York Concert Review wrote that "Albright is a pianist whose name music-lovers will be hearing more and more. Winner of a slew of awards, most prominently a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Albright is now in the company of musicians who have become household names…Ursula Oppens, Richard Stoltzman, Joshua Bell, Hillary Hahn, Yuja Wang, and many others who have made their marks. Mr. Albright will undoubtedly lend his own additional distinction to this already illustrious group. This concert, an evening not to be forgotten. He displayed a joy in his playing that was utterly infectious. Beethoven, for one, felt new, because as casual as Mr. Albright was in his stage style and commentary, he was equally intense in his high-powered performances. The finale…took on a fire of the master’s Op. 57 or 111. It was brilliant, precise, and powerful. In fact, throughout the entire evening, he displayed a joy in playing that was utterly infectious. He disarms jaded concertgoers with an openness and humility that for some reason we are not prepared to expect. Albright brings a vibrant spirit and limitless range for performances. He possesses a kind of intellect that doesn’t stop growing and will no doubt continue to surprise as his career progresses. The Etude No. 11 (“Winter Wind”), was, as they say, “as good as it gets” – and so was No. 12 (“The Ocean”). The improvisation was…spectacular, and the spontaneity, even with stylistic similarity to Chopin and Rachmaninoff, kept one on the edge of one’s seat. The improvisation alone was worth the trip. Bravo – and encore!" [43]

The Arizona Republic declared that "Pianist Charlie Albright steals Phoenix Symphony show" at his debut with the orchestra on November 3, 2011.[44]

The Daily Gazette wrote about Albright's performance in Albany, New York, on January 28, 2012. "Albright galvanized a capacity crowd... not only with a superb technical display but also a level of musicianship that could only be called poetically magical... His program showed off some of the things he does best: a frothy, fleet, effortless technique; a singing tone that is like a caress; phrasing that breathes and lifts with exquisite nuances; and an exuberance that is as sunny as it is intense, passionate and effervescent."[45]

The Lansing City Pulse declared that Albright "broke every heart on board. He played... like a consummate actor whose pianistic skill was a mere bonus." It also wrote of his "tireless dexterity," "split-second timing," and how "his polish and poise disguised the hard work in a cloak of drama." Dubbed "The Albright effect," it was raved that he "steals (the) Lansing Symphony finale."[46]

The Journal & Courier wrote "Albright played with flawless and dazzling technique, great sensitivity and musicality, but also appeared to be engrossed in and enjoying himself at the piano. Musicality and sensitivity were great companions and partners with Albright's technique and virtuosity."[47]

The Cortez Journal in Cortez, Colorado, wrote in 2014 that "Albright did not play the piano. He was the piano. His entire program was a whole, living breathing organism that made it impossible to separate artist from art or from the instrument upon which it was crafted... Albright lacked even a hint of arrogance or condescension... [he was] friendly, talkative and sincere. He held nothing back for himself. He gave it all away." With regard to an Albright improvisation, they wrote that it was "Gentle and lyrical one moment, martial and grandiose the next, it was an impressive sleight-of-hand which seemed, frankly, unbelievable." The review concluded that "We glimpsed something true, eternal and marvelous and the evening became a celebration of those qualities."[48]

On June 13, 2014, Albright gave a debut solo recital in the Rockport Music Festival, where the Boston Musical Intelligencer declared that the "piano sensation gave an impassioned and masterful performance." It continued that "Albright, who possesses titanic technical skill and much emotional sensitivity, parted the gloomy skies with a sparkling stage-side manner, a welcoming sense of informality, and the artistic willingness and musical chops to include improvisation on the program, a still-rare skill that is being resuscitated by our best artists." Regarding Chopin's Op. 25 etudes, the review stated that "Albright launched into the 12-piece set, forming it with the coherency of a piano symphony."[49]

Albright's European orchestral debut in Finland with the Kymi Sinfonietta was met with critical acclaim. The Kymen Sanomat wrote that "Charlie Albright captured its sound world and structures with unfailing mastery. His total immersion in the composer’s innermost being continued in the dreamy, bubbling Andante, from which burst the majestic Grande Polonaise for piano and orchestra. It is a most brilliant work of its kind. In the hands of this soloist, the texture, bathed in full splendour, flowed along with an effortless virtuosity enlivened by a primitive rhythmic drive and a refined piano tone. The arrangement of W.A. Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca heard as an encore soared like a magnificent firework in which virtuosity knew no bounds. "[50]